"Indianization"
of foreign foods seems to be the "mantra" of many multinational food
companies who find it difficult to make any breakthrough in business in
India with their otherwise successful recipes of western origin.
Fusion
foods, though a relatively new word in the food lexicon, brings out the
reality that unless products that best suit Indian palates are launched,
it is a Herculean task for the MNCs to establish sound business
competing with the small scale caterers. Indian fast food outlets and
road side vendors. Here is an example of such efforts by some companies
as a part of their survival and growth strategy.
"Several "cross-border" cuisines seem
to have emerged in the process. One such example is the 'Indo Chinese'
that has items like 'gobi manchurian' on its menu. So now, preparation
of chicken tikka might as well be slightly changed to marinating the
chicken pieces in a 'laksa' paste, made from the Singaporean herb
'laksa' leaves, to give it a Singaporean twist before finishing on the
charcoal grill. Similarly, 'laksa' might be used in the fragrant
basmati -rice Indian 'pulao' preparation to make the 'laksa pulao' which
its creator Chef Rajkamal Chopra of WelcomHotel Sheraton insists tastes
best with 'raita' or spiced yoghurt.
"It is very important for a chef
to break out of routine and experiment, says Chopra. Similar views are
echoed by renowned chef Sanjeev Kapoor who feels "chefs by nature are
experimental". "However, today the diner has also begun experimenting,
and this gives the chef more liberty and a stronger reason to do so."
Kapoor, who recently launched the Hindi version of his website to
attract "new internet users" also attributed the large number of
outbound as well as inbound traffic to and from the country to have
helped cause the change. Global fast food players like McDonald's,
Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Pizza Hut and Chikking, a new entrant into
the north Indian market, have also innovated with local ingredients to
suit the Indian palette".
Fusion
foods basically brings about rapport between Indian traditional food
tastes and successful foreign products, be it from China, Europe or the
US. It is remarkable that even a giant like McDonalds or Pepsico has
grasped the significance of this aspect of creating new foods for
marketing in this country. Sure, this is going to be the future trend
whether in India or other Asian and African countries. Probably India
may see many such developments in future with more and more foreign
players adopting this route for success.
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